Soul of a Hero
by Lupus Silvae
Summary: It's been five years since the events of Sonic 06. But now, with Sonic constantly suffering from inexplicable pain, Tails has to find a cure before something seemingly harmless destroys the life of a renowned hero. This time, though, genius won't cut it.
1. Mind Games

"Checkmate!" cried Tails, slamming his pawn down and cornering Sonic's king. The kitsune grinned smugly as he adjusted his glasses, watching Sonic's emerald eyes desperately search for a way out of the trap he'd fallen into. Sadly, there was no escaping Tails' pawn army. He had not lost a single piece, and all Sonic had left was his king. The hedgehog leaned back in his chair, crossing his arms and huffing.

"I say you cheated."

"Sonic, we've played this game three times today. You simply don't have the finesse for it."

"Yeah, yeah, so you keep telling me," muttered Sonic. The two adoptive siblings rose to their feet and stretched. Sonic was now twenty years old, and while he was just as fast and energetic as he was before, Tails had managed to calm him down enough to play strategy games with him. Of course, Sonic lost every time, but he enjoyed the days with the kitsune. Tails yawned, and glanced at the clock.

"It's almost midnight, Sonic. Do you want to stay here for the night?"

Sonic shrugged, rubbing his chest a little. It had become an irritating habit for him, ever since his chest had started hurting almost a year ago. For some unknown reason, the area around his lungs hurt almost constantly. It was worse when he ran or relaxed for too long. It had been tricky, but he had found a way to keep his running pace steady and keep moving enough when relaxing to maintain a relatively painless life. Tails had suggested a doctor multiple times, and even when Sonic had given in and gone, nothing unusual was found. However, the pain often got in the way of his day-to-day life, and constantly threw monkey-wrenches in their plans.

The fox sighed. "Does it hurt too badly?"

"No… no… I'll be fine. I'll take the couch."

"Are you sure? If you'd be more comfort--"

"No, Tails. I'm fine, really. I'll just see you in the morning, okay?"

Unconvinced, but not willing to argue, Tails left to his own bedroom above the workshop. Sonic laid out on the couch kept in the living room off the garage. He slept there most every time he stayed with Tails. The only reason anything had changed was Sonic's inability to breathe well when lying on something too hard. Needless to say, Tails' couch was _not _the most comfortable thing in the world. On more than one occasion, Sonic had woken up with a migraine from lack of oxygen, and would have to spend the rest of the day in the darkness of Tails' closed workshop trying to lose the massive headache.

If being cooped up was not nightmarish enough, anytime Sonic was in a dark place or night fell, the pain increased. At first, he thought Dark Gaia was trying to channel him again. However, Tails had used Chip's old bauble, which Sonic still wore around his wrist, to check. Much to Sonic's relief, Dark Gaia was still peacefully residing in the core of Mobius. Yet he was still wondering why the pain would hurt worse in the evenings and in darkness than out of it, and lack of an answer plagued him every night.

He winced as a sharp pain pierced his chest, then faded before coming back. It came with his heartbeat, and he had grown used to having to slow his heart rate down at night to sleep. Instead of keeping it steady, like in the daytime, he had to quiet it in order to breathe, and then hope he would, by some miracle, be able to fall asleep. Tonight was not a good night, mainly because he was on the couch instead of his own bed. A particularly painful stab caused him to jerk upwards, and he barely bit back a yelp of surprise. _It doesn't normally hurt that badly… Something's wrong._

A little concerned, but figuring he could ask Tails if he had somehow managed to make the couch even more uncomfortable, he lay back down. However, he was not permitted to simply fall back asleep. Tails entered the living room with his arms crossed. Sonic smirked. "You never went upstairs, did you?"

"No. I knew it was getting worse, Sonic! I may beat you at chess a lot, but it was never so distracting. I cornered you with _pawns_."

"Tails, I don't think you can use my defeat at chess as a logical explanation--"

"I'm not, Sonic! I saw you, and heard you, just a minute ago! Something is really wrong, and we have to find out what. We can't keep putting it off."

"We're not! We went to the doctor, he couldn't find anything. You checked the Gaia levels, they're fine. What else do you want me to do?"

"I don't know, but this can't go on anymore! Sonic, you're constantly in pain, even though you hide it. I'm sure there's something we can do. Do pain meds help?"

"Not at all. Tails, it's alright. I'm sure it'll pass, okay? You're the only one who knows, and I want to keep it that way. If we make a big deal out of this, it'll only get worse."

The kitsune sighed, clearly stressed. "If you say so. But you're not sleeping out here tonight. Get upstairs. I'll take the couch."

"Tails," murmured Sonic, reluctant to force the fox out of his room.

"Go!" snapped Tails. The hedgehog obeyed, leaving the fox alone. Tails sat on the couch, and once he was sure Sonic was gone, ran to his computer. Typing frantically, he searched all the medical websites he could think of. He was determined to find a cure for his brother, no matter how late he stayed up. It was almost five in the morning when he quit, coming up with a fruitless search. He glanced at the numerous articles he had printed off. So far, Sonic had Costochrondritis, Pleurisy, Cancer, and hundreds of other diseases that had "chest pain" as a common symptom.

The fox took his glasses off his muzzle and rubbed his eyes, which burned from hours of computer work. All his "answers" still did not explain the worsening of the pain in the dark or at night. In fact, unless he was having panic attacks, _nothing _just got worse in the dark. Frustrated, Tails turned the computer off and walked over to the television. Of course, nothing worth watching was on this early, but he was so tired he didn't care. He watched with glazed eyes as old cartoons and sitcoms flashed before his eyes, cracking overused jokes and making fun of people who had died decades ago. He flipped aimlessly through the channels until one caught his eye.

A documentary on biblical demons played ominously on the screen, flashing images of gruesome exorcisms as they told horrifying tales of destroyed lives and painful transformations. They certainly did not appear to be friendly beings. They were pure evil, intent on killing and tearing lives apart. People acted out-of-character, suffered from pain, and their emotions went completely out of whack. Tails sat in front of the TV, watching with more interest than the other shows, but still not much, as episode after episode of the show came on. When Sonic came down from the bedroom, it was ten.

"Tails? Did you even go to bed?" Tails jumped and whirled around, surprised to see Sonic up already, since he had been struggling to breathe all night. The only reason Tails knew this was because he could hear him moving restlessly, even from the computer room. "What is this, anyway?"

"Oh, nothing. Just a show I found. It's actually interesting, in a scary kind of way."

Sonic looked at the television skeptically. "Uhuh. Why are you watching exorcisms, anyway? You were always too scientific for the supernatural stuff."

"I know, but nothing else was on. I don't know why, but it explains a lot, and there's proof out there for it."

"Tails? I'm pretty sure you've lost it."

"Maybe, but I might look into this. I read a book about it once, but I hadn't thought about it since. It could make a nice research paper."

"Very nice. I'm going to grab some breakfast and go home, alright? See ya 'round."

With a sigh, Tails stood and followed his brother to the door. "Be careful how fast you run, okay?"

Sonic laughed. "Yes, mother."

He watched the blue trail of his friend fade into the distance, until Sonic dipped over the horizon and out of sight. Curiosity piqued, he turned back to the TV, only to see the show fading into advertisements. With a sigh, Tails turned it off and grabbed his library card. No matter how interesting the demonic show might be, he had research to do.

* * *

Oh no... is it another story?! When the others aren't anywhere near done?! Yes, yes it is. Updates on this won't be as often, though. ToK and LfW are my focus. =) So don't spaz. Hope you enjoy it, though!

~Wolf~


	2. Darkness and Light

He could feel it: his power had returned. His source of energy was fading faster now; he had almost drained it. Though he had successfully fed off of his host for five years, only now were the side effects becoming apparent. The energy was becoming more challenging to find, although it was always there. Still, there was nothing anyone could do to stop him now. His plan was too far along. The bodiless form of his presence floated aimlessly in the abyss of his host, mixing with the obnoxiously light blue presence of the one he called home. It had taken a year to completely null himself to the incredible brilliance of his host's soul. Accursed purity.

Yet it was all in place. He would be able to leave soon. Time would be his again, he could find his other half, and the world would be helpless. He could destroy those that tried to destroy him. Fools! They should have known it took more than a breath to obliterate pure darkness! It became his passion, his goal, his only purpose for existing: to kill all involved. Yes, everything was in place now. He only needed night to come again, and then he could escape. He would return, and the first to go would be the blue one who had been kind enough to loan him his soul.

* * *

Sonic ran as fast as he could, trying to let the wind counsel him as it had so many times before. He longed for the breeze to caress his fur and quills, for the rushing noise to block out all but the most basic of thoughts. Running was his anti-drug: it made everything fine again. At least it had, until now. His heart was pumping at a ridiculously fast pace to maintain his current velocity, and stabbing pains pierced his chest with every beat. This made it incredibly difficult to focus on the run. It had once become so distracting that he had tripped over a rock and nearly broken his foot.

Just like now. With a yelp and a deep reliance on animalistic instinct, Sonic curled into a ball as his foot pounded almost as painfully as his chest, and he rolled a few hundred feet before coming to a complete stop. At that point, the only sensation he could feel was pain; and when either pain or fear was the only thing he could be sure of, which was rare, his natural hedgehog instincts kicked in. Refusing to move or uncurl, Sonic remained tucked tightly in his protective, quill-covered ball until he was sure his foot was intact and his heart hadn't stopped. For whatever reason, his chest hurt far worse than normal now.

Carefully, cautiously, he emerged from the hedgehog equivalent of the fetal position, mentally running over every part of his body and taking in his surroundings. His foot hurt like nothing else, except maybe his chest, but he didn't think it was broken. Taking off his shoe, he winced at the significantly darker color beneath his fur. It might not be broken, but it was definitely bruised beyond running capability. He shook his head to get the blades of grass out of his quills, annoyed at how well they stuck to him. It was then that he decided to see where he was. A beautiful meadow splayed out in all directions, the rolling hills dotted with white flowers and the homes of carefree butterflies. The occasional bird would dive in and snatch up an insect, and he could hear the rustling of small mammals racing towards their homes. While he was not entirely sure when, he was almost positive he had been here before.

Rising to his feet, he noticed the glinting of water on the white-washed marble of a city not too far off. That made him sure of his location: the meadows outside Soleanna City. Tails had spoken of the metropolis before, having gone there multiple times to research the ultraviolet sun rays that seemed to have a higher concentration there. It was a royal city of massive proportions, and it had previously been the capital of its own country before it joined the Empire Union. Figuring a city of such magnitude had to have some sort of clinic that could take care of his foot, Sonic began the long, slow trek across the meadow to the city.

* * *

Inside the Station Square library, Tails desperately searched the numerous medical books for some sort of answer. Just like his internet quest, however, he discovered nothing of significance. Sonic's symptoms were simply too vague to find anything helpful. Frustrated, he shoved all the books he had grabbed into the return bin, not bothering to return them to their proper place on the shelves. He did, however, keep one book he had found on demons. He was curious as to how they functioned, since it was apparent they were not the same as Dark Gaia's minions. Besides, he had finished all his books on mechanical engineering, and it was time for new material. This was certainly an area he was unfamiliar with.

He handed his library card and the book to the lemur at the check-out counter. She smiled softly as she took the book and scanned it. "I couldn't help but notice you were looking at medical books. Are you studying to become a doctor?"

Tails chuckled. "No, a friend of mine's not feeling his best right now. I'm trying to find out what's wrong."

"Oh! Well, you can try the Soleanna branch of the library. They've got an entire section dedicated to medicine, and they have a lot more books than we do. Reference books, medical journals, dictionaries, all kinds of stuff. I'm sure you can find more there."

"I won't have to get another card, right?"

"Oh, no. It's just the Soleanna branch of the Empire Union Library System. Your current card will work fine."

"Great! I'll go there, then." Grabbing his book from the lemur, he took off towards the train station. It would take him to Soleanna in minutes, due to the advances in technology. When he arrived, he raced towards the Soleanna Library, eager to see what books they had that the Station Square Library did not. The three stories of walls lined with books was Heaven on Mobius for the kitsune, but he forced himself to remain focused. Within the hour, he had a thick pile of books on medical conditions, as well as a significantly smaller pile on angels and demons. He set them aside. He could check those out later. Sonic's cure was his first priority.

* * *

"…and I wouldn't suggest running for a week or so, until the swelling goes down."

Sonic sighed and nodded. The feline doctor in front of him had kindly wrapped up his foot for free, but hearing that he would not be able to run for that long hurt worse than his foot ever would. "Thanks," he muttered, limping out of the building and into the bright sunshine. He had purposefully avoided the subject of his chest hurting, as that was not the purpose of the visit. Besides, if the doctor in Empire City hadn't been able to find anything, why would this Soleanna doctor be any different? He hated going to doctors in the first place, and would prefer never having to go to one. However, sometimes things happened and he did not have a choice. Like today.

The sunlight reflected blindingly off of the white marble buildings, and Sonic was relieved to find that his chest immediately stopped hurting when the sunshine was this bright. "Guess I'll have to stay here more often. Even if it does mean going blind," he chuckled. Pleased that his foot wasn't broken and his chest had stopped hurting, Sonic walked slowly through the Soleanna streets. Water flowed peacefully through the rivers and canals to the ocean, and the sun reflected off the sea so brightly Sonic couldn't bear to look in that direction. It didn't prove to be a problem, though, seeing as he had no desire to look at water. Not paying attention to where he was walking, he bumped into a fellow pedestrian, who proceeded to drop everything he was carrying on Sonic's recently-repaired foot.

Sonic yelped and jerked his foot out from under the obnoxious weight, his cry mixing in with the hasty apologies of the other party involved in the impact. When they heard each other's voices, however, both stopped immediately to look at the other. "Tails?"

"Sonic? What are you doing here?"

"I was going to ask you the same thing."

"I was at the library. You?"

"I hit my foot running and had to get it wrapped up here. You just managed to make it worse."

"Oh… sorry," murmured Tails.

"Eh, don't worry about it. I was going to take the train home anyway. What are all these books for? You tryin' to become a doctor?" The minute the words were out of his mouth, it hit him. "Tails, you're not still trying to find out what's wrong with me, are you?"

The fox's guilty expression told the hedgehog all he needed to know.

"Tails! I told you, we don't have to worry about it anymore, alright?! It's not a big deal!"

"It is, and you know it!" snapped Tails.

"It's not even hurting now, okay? Can't you just let it go?"

"No! I-- wait. It's not hurting?"

"No," Sonic repeated.

"Did it hurt when you left my house?" he inquired.

"Somewhat."

"When did it stop?"

"Tails, can we just drop--"

"When did it stop?!" barked the kitsune.

"When I got to Soleanna, okay? Are we done?"

While a million more questions rushed through the kitsune's hyperactive mind, he nodded. "Yeah… let's just go back to my house."

"But I--"

"No arguing, please," sighed Tails.

Sonic shrugged and followed the fox into the train station, but the second he stepped foot in the shadows, the familiar stabbing pain returned, twice as painful as any time before. _There's just no stopping it, is there?_

_

* * *

_

The sunlight! That cursed sunlight! He loathed it, despised it, and, dare he say it, feared it. It was always painful for him when his host was in the sun, but it had gotten a far worse all of a sudden. It felt like he was burning as the light blue soul of his host absorbed the sunlight and glowed a bright, icy blue. He could not stand it for much longer. Just as he thought he would be forced to leave his host prematurely, he could feel them return to the shadows. The second the ice blue glow faded, he engulfed the soul with his own dark indigo presence. While he knew he could not hold his host's soul long if he returned to the bright sunlight of their previous location, he would have to. He reminded himself he only had to suffer until night came. If his plan was to work, he must leave with his host in tow. There was no other way.


	3. Whispers of Darkness

The two brothers sat opposite from each other at Tails' kitchen table, glaring at the chess board with equal concentration. The sun was slipping below the horizon, but neither of them went to turn on the lights to see. One could tell by Tails' expression that the fox was losing, or at least coming close. Sonic was thrilled, hoping to end his losing streak that had started three years ago. Suddenly, his opponent brightened and moved his queen, and much to Sonic's dismay, cried: "Checkmate!"

"Again?" groaned the hedgehog, glancing at his king and hoping for some way out the kitsune had overlooked. Unfortunately for him, there was none.

"Yup. Sorry, Sonic, but you just can't get the hang of this game."

"I've won against Amy!"

"Yeah, and that's supposed to mean something?"

Sonic snorted, but grinned. "She has a hammer."

"Very true," Tails laughed. "Anyway, I've got to run to the hardware store before it closes. The Tornado III needs a new part."

"Do you want me to get it?" inquired Sonic, rising to his feet. "You've kept me locked up in here ever since we got back from Soleanna."

"Nah, I'll get it. You just wait here. I'll be back by nine."

"Nine? What hardware store are you going to, Tails?!"

"The one across town. Now, sit!" Sonic cocked his head with confusion, but sat back down in the chair. "Stay… stay… good hedgie!" Tails then raced out the door, laughing.

Sonic crossed his arms in dejection, looking quite miffed even though no one was there to appreciate his superior pouting skills. Resigning to the fact that Tails would not let him leave the house and would be extremely infuriated if he did, Sonic decided to explore Tails' bedroom for something to do. The second he entered the dark room, though, he nearly fell from the power of the blow to his chest. Normally, it simply hurt, but now it was as if something was attempting to escape. Once he flipped the light on, however, the pain subsided to its usual stabbing self.

Confused and somewhat concerned, Sonic went to Tails' bookshelf and flipped through it. He noticed the library shelf had a significant number of books on it now. Most of them were medical journals and dictionaries. With a sigh, Sonic turned to the fox's desk, to find many of the books open, with a notebook to the side filled with catscratchings. Letting his curiosity get the better of him, he picked up the nearest book. On the first page was a picture of the human's portrayal of a demon, with a small description beneath it. The page opposite, however, listed all the attributes that could potentially mean a demon was present. Sonic snorted and put the book down, looking instead at Tails' notes. He was surprised to find many notes about himself on there, but seeing as he could barely decipher his own name in Tails' awful penmanship, he could not read what they said.

Sonic looked out the window to see the last rays of sunlight piercing the darkness. Seeing as he had nothing else to do, he dragged a bean-bag chair from the corner to the window, and plopped down on that to watch the stars come out. He could not prevent his thoughts from constantly wandering to the notebook. Why was Tails copying things out of a book on demons and writing his name alongside it? He didn't really believe in that stuff, right? No. He had to be using the same notebook to take notes from the medical books.

Back on that topic, Sonic's relatively decent mood vanished with the sun as it finally sunk out of sight, blanketing the world in total darkness. Suddenly, a rush of air slammed the door shut behind him. Sonic leapt to his feet, adopting a ready stance, should someone other than Tails be in the house. _But it's too early for Tails to be back!_ A pain similar to the one he felt when he entered the room slammed against his chest again, and he lost all sense of balance, falling to his knees. The lights flickered once, twice, and then went out completely.

When the light left, so did all sense of security for the hedgehog. The pain became unbearable, and did not stay confined to his chest. Rather, his entire body felt as if it was burning, and he could not open his eyes against it. Knowing he could not stay vulnerable, he attempted to rise to his feet, but the pain only grew more intense, sending the hedgehog crumbling to the ground all over again. The lights flickered again, but it returned to darkness. The taste of light had brought minor relief, but the return of the darkness made the pain even harder to withstand.

Completely broken, Sonic let out a yell of frustration and anguish, wishing with all his might he was not alone. _Oh, but you are alone, Hero. No one's here to help you. You have no choice but to succumb to me._ The voice echoed through Sonic's mind, and truthfully, it scared him. _Be afraid, Hero. Be very afraid. It only makes me stronger._

Determined not to let this… whatever it was control him, Sonic pushed himself to his knees, despite the pain, and tried to force his thoughts onto other things. This was no easy task, as the voice continued to interrupt him. _Your efforts are valiant, but they are in vain. I will enter your world tonight, and you are going to enter mine. We will be in the same place, yet I will be superior. I have waited five years for this. You cannot stop me._

The pain began to concentrate in his chest, causing Sonic to release an unwilling scream of agony. His hand flew to his chest, as if holding it would somehow dampen its effect, but when he pulled it away, he was shocked to find it stained crimson. _How? I haven't moved!_

_It is a painful process, Hero, but it will be well worth it. At least, it will for me. Just endure it. You have no other choice._ Sonic fought against the voice, laying his ears back and crying out for help he was sure would not come. His surroundings faded into black, and the only noises were his screams and the voice that continued to haunt him. Blood trickled down his chest fur and dripped onto the blackness of the floor below him. Sonic was not entirely sure it was a floor, as he could not see it, and at this point, he could not feel it, either.

Then, a light became visible. Unlike all the other times, however, when light brought relief, it brought more excruciating pain. Confused, Sonic glanced down to realize where the light was coming from. Mixed in with the blood that continued to escape was a very light blue mist, which was almost completely engulfed by a darker violet one. His breathing began to come in sharp, painful gasps as the mists escaped into the abyss. Sonic could hardly bring himself to watch as the violet mist began to form into a body.

The frame was obviously hedgehog, but the spines were directed upwards, like Shadow's. On the ends were lavender and white crystals, which also formed on his arms and hands. His muzzle was a lighter violet, but its color was dwarfed by the eyes that glared at him menacingly. The emerald-green eyes were one thing, but they glowed against a scarlet sclera. In his right hand he held the majority of the other mist, which had formed into a smoky sphere. Sonic swore he had seen this hedgehog before, but for whatever reason, could not place him.

"Wh-who… who are y-you?" he hissed, no longer having the strength to look at the hedgehog before him. Looking down, he saw a few tendrils of the ice-blue mist stubbornly clinging to his chest. They continued to be pulled towards the sphere of power, though, and Sonic was sure it was worse having them try to stay then if they would leave him alone.

The hedgehog before him laughed. "I am offended that you do not remember me, Hero. I am Mephiles. Mephiles the Dark. In a time that has been erased for you, I was the one who hunted you down, persuaded the White One to help me, and in the end, I killed you. As you can see, I will succeed. Again."

"Wh-what?" whimpered Sonic, his voice fading as the mist slowly began to flow towards Mephiles.

"You will never understand, I'm afraid. However, know this: you will not die. Rather, I have your soul. You will live out the rest of your days as I have: an eternal being with no sense of time. You will have to figure out how to function for yourself. Farewell, hero. I will leave you now."

With that, the last of the mist was removed from Sonic's chest and it now glowed dimly in Mephiles' hand. Sonic's consciousness was no longer in the body he had known his entire life. Rather, he sensed he was the smoke he had watched leave him. Then Mephiles faded away, the black abyss he was in disappeared, and Tails' bedroom, now lit and completely normal, reappeared. Confused, Sonic simply hovered in the room. He could feel no pain, no anything. He simply floated, as if in water.

_Sonic. You do not have to stay this way. Imagine your previous body._ The voice that echoed through his head now was definitely not Mephiles. Rather, it was soft and feminine; relaxing. Sonic obeyed, still unsure about the events previous. When he did this, he regained his sense of form. However, he was not as he had been before. He glanced around, now able to take in his surroundings. The first thing he noticed was the body he had previously occupied laying on the floor of Tails' bedroom, looking very dead. Sonic's ears twitched as he heard the click of the door and Tails' voice.

_Oh no._

_

* * *

  
_

Tails entered the house with a bag of parts, trying his best to drag it to the workshop. "Sonic! I'm back! Mind giving me a hand, here? This thing's really heavy!" He was somewhat surprised to hear utter silence in response. _He can't really be angry at me, can he? _"Sonic, come on! I'm sorry, alright? Just help me get this into the workshop!" When the silence continued, Tails huffed and dropped the parts at the door. He glanced at the living room and the kitchen, and began to wonder if Sonic had run off.

The workshop was empty, and so was the hangar. "Maybe he went to bed already," muttered Tails, walking upstairs. Light shone from under the door, and Tails new from experience that unless he had been running, Sonic could not sleep with a light on. "Sonic?" he murmured, knocking once on the door. Silence reigned from within, and when he looked down, he noticed a light blue mist beginning to leak under the door.

"Sonic, if you've broken my test tubes again, you're going to have to pay for--" His tirade was cut off the second he entered the room. "Sonic!" The body of his brother lay curled up on the floor. His chest did not rise and fall as it should have, and crimson stained the carpet around him. Tails gently touched his brother's arm, concern and shock overwhelming him. Tears slowly trickled down his muzzle as he felt for a pulse. His heart dropped when he didn't find one.

"No… _no!_" he screamed, pounding the floor in anguish. The tears came freely now as he mourned the loss of his brother. _What could have done this to you?! Why is there so much blood? What happened?!_

When he opened his eyes, he saw the same icy mist from before surrounding him. He rose slowly to his feet, and watched as it flowed of its own accord to the book on the desk. It flipped a few pages, then stopped. Curious, Tails walked over to the desk and glanced at the book. It was the page on exorcisms, and Tails glanced at the mist in confusion, unsure as to why he was looking at something obviously not sentient for answers.

Slowly, the smoke began to conform into some sort of being. Tails could hardly keep the surprise off of his face as the being before him became clear. Its body, if he could call it that, looked exactly like Sonic's. However, where Sonic's fur was cobalt, it was a light, sky blue, and where it would have been cream, it was white. He wore no gloves or shoes, as he normally did, and the small, black claws he had were longer and more accentuated. On his lowest right quill, a strip of shredded cloth hung loosely. His ankles and wrists bore shackles with two chain links hanging on each of the ankles. His ears bore three chain links each, which both had a cobalt feather with an emerald green bead. With all the difference, Tails was sure he could not be shocked anymore than he already was, until Sonic's eyes opened. Instead of the emerald-green eyes he was accustomed to seeing, the sclera glowed light green, and there were no pupils.

"S-Sonic?" whimpered Tails, glancing at the body on the floor, then at the apparition in front of him.

The hedgehog nodded, smiling a little.

"Can you talk?"

Sonic shrugged, unsure. He flicked his left ear, as if hearing something, before turning back to Tails. "Yeah, I can."

Relief flooded over Tails when he heard that Sonic's voice, at least, had not changed.

"What happened?"

"I'm not entirely sure myself. When you left, I came up here. The second the sun went down, I started hearing some random voice and my chest really started hurting. I'm going to skip all the gory details, but let's say some guy named Mephiles, who has claimed to have killed me in the past, is running amok, and I'm like some sort of ghost or zombie or something." He left off the part about the female voice still talking to him. It would be better if Tails thought him sane.

"Wow…" muttered Tails. "Is there a way to get you back?"

"I don't know…"

_There is only one. You must destroy Mephiles and Iblis separately, then you can return to your body. But you must do it before your physical form loses its ability to support a soul. Also, you must find the One Way to keep them from returning to you, or this will happen again. _Sonic's ear twitched, he still being unused to hearing a voice constantly.

"Um, yeah, I can. I have to destroy this Mephiles character, and some other one named Iblis… separately. So… not together? We have a deadline, too, by the way. We have to keep my physical body able to support me. Oh, and there's only one way to keep it from happening over and over again. So, we gotta find that too."

Tails gave him a strange look. "I thought you said you didn't know."

"I do now. Can we move on?"

The fox sighed, nodding slightly. "I guess. I'm going to call the morgue. They should be able to do something about you, er, your body." Sonic chortled, amused at Tails' awkwardness. Rolling his eyes, Tails walked towards the phone. "This is turning out to be one heck of a night."


	4. Unravelling Time

Tails had watched as the truck drove away, and only dreaded the awkward conversations to follow. He had told the men who came to pick up Sonic that night that he was the hedgehog's only family, and would call everyone else accordingly. However, it was almost impossible to keep news like this underground. Now he watched the first rays of sunlight appear over the horizon: the end to a terribly long night. He shuddered as a light blue smoke brushed past him, causing chills to run up and down his spine. "Sonic, I swear, _stop that!_"

Before him formed a ghostly hedgehog similar in appearance to his brother, but still very different. The hedgehog smirked. "C'mon, I've gotta have some fun!"

"You're going to drive me insane. I know you find it amusing that you can freak people out, even when they _know _you, but if you keep it up, I'm going to kill you."

"How do you plan on doing that?" inquired the hedgehog, knowing his point was won.

"I'll find a way," muttered Tails, walking back into the house. "Now, if you're going to be active and annoying, we might as well work. You said we needed to destroy Mephiles and Iblis, right?"

"Yeah."

"Do you have any idea of how to find them? Or even find out who they are?"

Sonic pondered this for a minute, before giving a short nod. "Mephiles said that he existed in another time that was erased. He claimed to have killed me, and said something about a white one."

"That's something to go on, I guess. We know he can time travel. Can you?"

"He said I have no sense of time, either… so I guess I can."

"Try it later. Right now, we need to find out who this Mephiles character is. I'm going back to the library."

"But he said the time he was from doesn't exist anymore. How will the library help?"

"You'd be surprised. Now you play around with this form and see if it can do anything useful. And for heaven's sake, _don't _walk through people anymore!"

The fox left the hedgehog on his own, heading back to Soleanna. Sonic watched him go before shrugging and returning to his smoky sphere of light. It was far easier to maintain that form, and as long as he did not have to talk to anyone, it did not matter if he remained that way. He slowly let his consciousness explore his surroundings. It was strange experiencing places as a mind and not a body. He was still unused to the concept of moving by thought. However, in just the past night he had developed quite a skill for it.

His mind brushed against the dimmer consciousnesses of a few insects. He found it weird to feel something so insignificant so alive. However, the insects were not what he was searching for. He had to find the consciousness that seemed to guide him. It would be far easier to find her when he was not holding a bodily form, but it did not mean it was easy. It seemed trying to intentionally find her was like trying to find the proverbial needle in a haystack. Unless she wanted to be found, her consciousness was almost as miniscule as a cockroach's; but if she did, she was so insanely obvious she could not be missed.

After a while, he found her. Still cautious around the mental world and unsure as to consciousness etiquette, Sonic decided slight pressure against her defenses would be best. However, the second he tried, he was consumed by the power of her thoughts. He could tell she was angry, but he could not speak or control his form at all, as she constrained his abilities and his consciousness in general. Pain surged through him, despite the fact he had no real form. "_Why have you searched for me?"_

_ "I… I had a question," _he managed to say.

_ "You cannot search for me, Sonic. I will come to you. It is not time for you to know who I am, or know the true secrets your soul contains. There is far more darkness in you than you ever imagined, and you will have to discover how to rid yourself of it on your own. But, since you are here, what is your question?"_

_ "How do I time travel?" _he inquired, now worried. "_How do I fight Mephiles when I don't know who he is?"_

"_I was afraid you would ask this. Your brother will find an answer in the library, but it will not help you as much as you want. Travel to The Abyss. Absorb the Light. Summon the Devil. He will reveal time travel to you by his own fault. However, know this: he can injure you, but you cannot die. You must take great care."_

_ "Alright… I'm sorry." _

_ "I understand. Now leave me."_

Sonic quickly transformed back into his bodily form, shaking his head and glancing worriedly around the house. An incredible feeling of guilt ate away at his chest, but he tried to push it back. Now was not the time to think about it; he had to travel to some abyss. What was this abyss, anyway? The first thing that came to mind was the blackness he was in when this whole thing had started. But how was he supposed to get there?

With a shrug, he decided to try. Once again, he released his hold on the semi-physical form he had and reverted to the sphere of smoky light. Concentrating as hard as he could, he sensed the area around him. He felt what he had before, but made himself look past it. That was not what he wanted now. Instead, he skipped ahead to the guide's next command: absorb the light. Did that mean he could sense light, too, not just consciousnesses like himself?

He backed off of the insects and focused on the rest of the reality around him. To his surprise, it worked. He was completely overwhelmed by the amount of power that consumed him. Most of it was light, but some of it was not. Intent on summoning the light, he focused only on it. The power flowed through him and gave him more strength than he thought possible; he felt more alive then than he had in all twenty years of his physical life. When he returned to his semi-physical form, he was surprised to see a portal ahead of him. The blackness swirled in a clockwise direction, and it seemed to summon light and darkness to itself like a black hole.

With a short cry of victory, he stepped through the portal to find himself in a blackness that was far too familiar.

"So, Hero, you figured it out. Welcome to The Abyss: timeless torture."

Sonic whirled around to face the crystalline hedgehog behind him. "Mephiles?"

"You learn quickly. I'm surprised you found this place. Most souls never discover how to absorb light and dark."

"Yeah, well, I had a little help," Sonic snickered.

"Hm. You've learned how to maintain a physical form with speech as well. I must say, I'm impressed. Do you know why you're here?"

"To kill you," snapped Sonic, "and get back to the land of the living."

"I'll have to disappoint you, Hero. There's no way you can defeat me when you are unaccustomed to the way of The Abyss."

"Try me."

It was quite possible that Sonic never regretted two words so much in his life. The second the words left his mouth, a blast of dark power shot by him. Sonic yelped and dodged just in time, feeling the heat singe his non-existent fur. When he looked back at Mephiles, however, he could not find him; not because he was not there or because he was invisible, but because there were over one hundred of him. "Oh dang…"

The army cackled in unison and charged the hedgehog. Sonic closed his eyes and instinctively raised his hands into a defensive position. To his pleasant surprise, an explosion of light shot outward from him through all of the clones. He blinked in shock, then grinned at the only remaining Mephiles. He had only lost a little bit of power, and was now very pleased with himself for absorbing so much when he was in the real world. The crystalline hedgehog appeared shocked, but his expression darkened as he charged up a sphere of light similar to Sonic's. This light, however, almost did not glow at all, but rather absorbed it into a violet beam of pure malevolence. The weapon shot forward towards Sonic, who had anticipated the attack and used his own to meet it in the middle.

Mephiles cackled and forced his lance forward. Unused to the ways of light and dark, Sonic released his grip on the light and dodged the beam. This turned out to be an incredible mistake, as now the lance absorbed all the light that Sonic had previously gathered in the real world. Now the only power that remained was what naturally flowed through him as a soul. He assumed that using it at all would not be a very intelligent thing to do, but he had no choice. Sonic tried to figure out how much power it would take for a light lance, but his mathematic skills were nothing in comparison to Tails', so he soon gave up the task. Mephiles was preparing to attack again, holding a dark sphere of the indigo light in his right hand. It crackled and sparked with power as it grew in size. The difference between this and the dark lance, however, was that it glowed with light as well as shadow, and was obviously far more powerful. When the sphere was at least three times as large as its maker, it shot forward.

In the next second, reflex was all Sonic could manage. He shot all the power he could summon with such short notice towards the sphere, hoping to destroy it before it reached him. However, he did not have enough to completely obliterate it. With a cry of surprise and shock, Sonic was quickly consumed by the orb. It grew brighter for a few painful seconds, before everything vanished around him. Suddenly, he was floating in another abyss, but still moving. When he opened his eyes, he saw he was still contained in the power sphere, but it was rushing forward at speeds he had never dreamed of reaching without the assistance of a Chaos Emerald. Just as suddenly as he had begun the journey, it came to a screeching halt. The sphere opened something that resembled a door, revealing a large city skyline against a blood red sunset.

Needless to say, Sonic was overwhelmed. Having already released his grip on the semi-physical form, he simply left the orb. The second he did so, it vanished behind him. Mentally shrugging off the confusion, he instead looked forward. While he could not place it exactly, the city before him was incredibly familiar. Concrete buildings climbed ever-skyward and pierced the clouds while motor vehicles drove down long asphalt paths. Sentients as well as humans walked to and from the various buildings on their way home, all oblivious to the soul that floated amongst them.

Sonic decided he did not have time to explore the city. As much as he would have liked to find out what was so familiar about this place, he had to find out how to get back to his time. He did not know how long that could take or even if time travel could be set to a specific time of day as well as period in history. His only choice now was to find out how to get back as quickly as possible, and hope he could hone his skills to the time before Tails returned from the library. His mind raced as he tried to find out what Mephiles did that "revealed time travel through his own fault." That stupid voice could be helpful, but when it chose not to be, it was flipping annoying. As he thought, he absorbed the light from around him, trying to absorb more than before in order to prevent running out again and ever having to survive off of his newly dubbed "life source." His process was interrupted when a white hedgehog walked directly through him.

His reflexes caused him to transform to his semi-physical state, which he had not intended to do at all. So, when the hedgehog turned around to see where his friend was, he saw a transparent ghost of a former hero. "By Solaris… What the heck is this?"

Sonic had just enough time to dart out of the way before the white hedgehog launched a teal light at him. He did not dodge the second blow, but was surprised to find it did not affect him. The snow white hedgehog looked as shocked as Sonic felt, but shook it off and tried to attack the apparition once again.

"Hey, hey! Slow down, there!" yelped Sonic, trying to keep the other hedgehog from attacking. It wasn't causing any harm, but he would prefer not to draw attention to himself.

"Silver! Silver, stop!" cried a somewhat familiar female voice. Both males turned to see a lavender feline running towards them, her hand extended. She slammed it down on the white hedgehog's fist, pushing his hand down. "What the heck do you think you're doing? Don't you know who that is?"

"I see a ghost. I'm not sure what you see, but—"

"Yes, Silver, it's a goshderned ghost, but don't you recognize him?"

"No, should I?"

"Oh my gosh! Silver! We studied this in class this morning! It's Sonic the Hedgehog!"

* * *

This story seems to be getting faster updates for some reason. Huh. Oh well... ToK's next, and then maybe I can get on a smoother cycle like a was before. Letters... Knighthood... Hero... Letters... Knighthood... Hero... I'll get there. Eventually. Thanks for sticking with me.

Oh, and a huge thank you goes out to Gladius Infractus, without whom I could not edit this near as easily as I do.

~Wolf~


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